The DC Food Truck Association published a press release regarding the Mayor’s proposed new food truck regulations released on Oct 5. The trucks had a meeting with DDOT on Monday (here is a great write-up on that meeting by the Washington Post), and from the sound of it, things didn’t go very well. The major issues being that 1) the regulations give DDOT the authority to dictate how many and where food trucks would be able to operate, and 2) the regulations are too vague and would be open to enforcement abuse.
Here is the full release:
Mayor Gray Proposal Threatens Food Trucks Downtown
Proposed Regulations Would Hurt District Residents and Workers
By Limiting Choice and Competition
If Mayor Vincent Gray’s proposed new food truck regulations were adopted they would threaten food trucks throughout downtown, the Food Truck Association said today.
“Food trucks are good for our community and our economy,” said Che Ruddell-Tabisola, executive director of the Food Truck Association and Co-Owner of the BBQ Bus food truck. “We are offering our customers variety and great cuisine at great prices, adding to the vibrancy of downtown and creating hundreds of jobs. These benefits could be lost if Mayor Gray’s proposal was adopted.”
Mayor Gray’s proposed rules, which were published on Oct. 5, also grant new, sweeping powers to an unelected agency, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), to decide where food trucks can and cannot vend.
“DDOT’s intent is to balance the multiple needs and uses of public space. We too are members of this community and support that goal,” said Mike Lenard, a Food Truck Association board member and owner of the TaKorean food truck. “However, these proposed new rules do not achieve that goal.”
Under the proposed regulations, the government would pick and choose the limited number of locations where trucks can vend by establishing Mobile Roadway Vending locations. Although these locations are good news for the few trucks that can snag a spot, other food truck vendors will undoubtedly be forced out of downtown. The proposed rules would even ban food trucks from vending on opposite sides of the same street.
“Establishing Mobile Roadway Vending locations could cut the number of food trucks in some of the most popular mobile vending areas by half,” Ruddell-Tabisola said. “One area of particular concern is 21st and Virginia Streets NW, which has no brick-and-mortar restaurants but a large number of District workers who regularly eat from food trucks conveniently located right outside their offices. Our trucks, by serving these people and keeping them out of their cars, help reduce city congestion. It makes no sense for an administration dedicated to the environment to take that away.”
The proposal would also ban food trucks from serving their customers if there is less than 10 feet of “unobstructed” sidewalk. But the regulations do not specify what qualifies as an “obstruction,” and there is concern that the District could use this unyielding provision to block vending in large parts of downtown. There are numerous locations where trucks currently vend adjacent to sidewalks that are less than 10 feet without impeding pedestrian traffic. Applying an arbitrary and unnecessary width restriction would eliminate good vending locations for no valid reason.
“The proposal to eliminate food trucks where there is less than 10 feet of “unobstructed sidewalk” is vague, open to multiple interpretations and potential enforcement abuse,” Ruddell-Tabisola said. “The rules should be clear so that everyone has the same understanding of what they mean.”
“We should be working together to improve choices, quality and value for customers – not limit them,” Lenard said. “The Food Truck Association is committed to continuing to work with the District to adopt food truck regulations that are fair and balanced and preserve consumer choice and competition. We look forward to submitting our proposal in the coming weeks.”
About the Food Truck Association
The Food Truck Association is a group of more than 50 local food truck owner-operators. We seek to sustain the wellbeing of our industry, foster a sense of community and work in partnership to improve food truck regulations. We are engaged community members who deeply care about our city and believe in working together to make a positive impact. The Food Truck Association’s signature event is the Curbside Cookoff food truck festival series. For more information visit www.DCFoodTrucks.org.
Sorta sounds like the DCRA had deeper pockets and in turn managed to sway the Mayor’s office their way.
This should be no surprise, considering the trend nationwide to curb trucks in the recent year.
Chicago, New York City, even sleepy little Buffalo is cracking down. Hell, Frederick Md, bans them outright from operating street-side.
Presumably this is going to go the same way as the Chinatown buses: Food trucks will be allowed to operate in a no-man’s land somewhere behind Union Station and DC residents will lose out again.
What do we need to do since we are happy with the food trucks the way they are?
Move your office to Arlington.
Have more money, and resources than what the DC has now in order to fight the legality of such ordnance that are spoon fed to the DC City Council by the DCRA.